See you all on 20 April for the first day of Term 2.

The next Board meeting for 2026 is on Wednesday 1 April at 6.00pm.

Year 5 and 6 children compete in the Bay Suburbs Swimming Competition at Sacred Heart Aquatic Centre on Friday 27 March.

The Central East Auckland Weetbix Tryathlon is on Sunday 22nd March at Pt England Reserve.  If you have yet to register your child, please don't wait as this event usually sells out and many children are left unable to take part.  Click on the link to register now, and please ensure that you connect your children with the St Heliers School Team.  You will see this option as you proceed through the enrolment.  https://tryathlon.co.nz/locations/central-east-auckland/

To ensure that our athletes are feeling confident and excited about this amazing event, I am offering four training sessions at Crossfield Reserve in the lead up to the big day.  These will of course help with fitness, but more importantly they are about the tips and tricks to ensure that the children have a wonderful time out there on the course, and the all-important mindset and attitude needed for the event.

There will not be any swimming at the training sessions, but please ensure you bring their bike, helmet, running shoes, and water.

Please arrive ten minutes before the start time to get set up.  If you arrive at the times listed, your children will miss the beginning of the session.

I look forward to seeing you at one, or all of the sessions below:

Sun 22nd February     3.30pm

Sun 1st March          3.30pm

Sun 8th March          4 pm

Sun 15th March         4 pm

Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions.

Kathy Harding

SHS Running Club Coach

027 2818 007

kathycfm007@gmail.com

Parents are invited to our Whole School Excellence Assembly on Friday 20 March at 2pm.

Excellence Awards recognise those children who have attained a standard of academic, sporting or  cultural excellence in some aspect of their schooling.

Only one child is awarded an excellence award in each class per term.

Come along to the staffroom on Wednesday 18 March to see the relaunch of the Parents of St Heliers/PTA. A great chance to discuss how we all want this to look going forward, meet other parents. This is a great way to get involved if you are new to the school. I look forward to seeing you there.

S. Valvoi

As many of you may be aware, the St Heliers School PTA has not operated since 2020. We are lucky enough to have a number of very engaged parents who have continued to work on different fundraising activities, however a survey at the end of last year showed significant parent interest in reestablishing this group more formally. The primary role of the PTA is to identify and manage fundraising events to fund priorities that are outside of the school budget. They also support engagement initiatives to further develop a strong school community. This is open to any parent or caregiver who has a child at St Heliers and wants to help with fundraising or engagement activities. An initial meeting for anyone wanting to know more will be held on Wednesday 18 March from 7 - 8pm in the staffroom. Attendance is not a commitment but an opportunity to further understand the role of the PTA and how you could be involved.

Amelia Carter

The Year 5 and 6 children compete at the Bay Suburbs Softball Competition on Tuesday 17 March at Madills Farm.

Parents are invited to our Whole School Citizenship Assembly on Friday 13 March at 2pm.

Citizenship Awards recognise those children who consistently uphold our school values and consistently display citizenship qualities.

Citizenship Qualities:

Friendly and helpful towards other people

Generous with your time and talents for the good of others without thought of personal reward

Sympathetic towards those in distress, the weak and the needy

Only one child is awarded an excellence award in each class per term.

Come along to our Māori Hui and Pasifika Fono on Wednesday 11 March.

On Tuesday, 10 March at 8.15am Y3-8 children will be able to have an opportunity to try some of the instruments, parents must accompany the students. The Have A Go morning will be held in our Dance & Drama Room. Later that morning they will be treated to a demonstration by the instructors.

Are you planning to run or walk in Auckland's iconic Round the Bays event?

There is not an official St Heliers School Team, but members of our Running Club will be heading into the start line together and would love for you to join them!  Please see the message below from our Running Club Coach, Kathy Harding.

Everyone is welcome to come and join the fun with us on Sunday 8th March for Round the Bays!  We will meet by the water fountain in front of the brick toilet block opposite Vellenoweth Green in St Heliers at 7.25 am.  Then we can all travel together on a free shuttle bus into town for the start of the race.  

I will run with a big helium balloon of some description (details provided later), to help us attempt to run as a group but realistically in such an enormous crowd, this is a bit of a challenge.  Please note that as much as I am hoping that many children will run with me, I am not able to take responsibility for your children in an event of this size, so please do not enter your youngsters without a supervising adult alongside them.

The course is 8.4 kms which is a big distance, but it is all flat and we can walk a bit if necessary and get carried along by the amazing atmosphere.  In terms of which category to enter, unless your child is super-fast and wants to take the event very seriously, I would just enter as a 'jogger' rather than a 'runner'.

It will be a memorable experience, particularly for those who have not taken part before!

If you would like to hear updates leading up to the event or if you have any questions, please email me    kathycfm007@gmail.com 

Pakakē and Kākahi compete in the annual school swimming sports at The Y Glen Innes Pool & Leisure Centre on Thursday 5 March. House points will also be collected on the day. An event schedule will be sent to families. We will let you know when we are calling for parent volunteers to help with the event.

The first Board meeting for 2026 is on Thursday 5 March at 5.30pm.

Paikea compete in the annual school swimming sports at The Y Glen Innes Pool & Leisure Centre on Thursday 5 March. House points will also be collected on the day. An event schedule will be sent to families. We will let you know when we are calling for parent volunteers to help with the event.

On Monday 2 March Paikea (Year 4 and 5) visit the Auckland Zoo and part of the endangered animals inquiry unit.

There is an outside group who would like to run Skill Samurai at St Heliers School after school on Fridays from 3pm to 5pm. Skill Samurai runs in various schools throughout Auckland. The activity, they say, is fun and interactive, designed especially for children aged 6 to 12 to enhance their skills in mathematics and programming.

🎮 FREE Coding & STEM Trial Class – St Heliers School Students! 🚀

Skill Samurai is excited to offer St Heliers School students an exclusive FREE trial class on Friday 27th!

This is a fantastic opportunity for students to experience fun, hands-on learning in coding, game development, problem-solving, and digital creativity, all in a supportive and engaging environment.

⚡ Limited to 15 spots only
📅 Friday 27th from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
🎟 Completely FREE for St Heliers School students

Spots are strictly limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Secure your child’s place today!

The Senior Leadership Team look forward to seeing all the new parents at the morning tea at 8.50am on Wednesday 25 February in the school hall or staffroom (depending on numbers). Hear a little more about what’s happening in the school, meet other new families and have some of your questions answered. We look forward to seeing you.

There is an outside group who would like to run Skill Samurai at St Heliers School after school on Fridays from 3pm to 5pm. Skill Samurai runs in various schools throughout Auckland. The activity, they say, is fun and interactive, designed especially for children aged 6 to 12 to enhance their skills in mathematics and programming.

To find out if this is of interest to your children they are running an open day with a demonstration in the quad area outside the office at 3pm on Friday 20 February.

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Following conversations and some feedback received through last year’s community consultation survey, we have reviewed and adjusted the structure of our beginning-of-the-year meet-the-teacher evening.

The evening is designed as an opportunity for parents to hear about the school’s direction for the year, gain an overview of curriculum changes, implementation, and meet your child’s teacher.

Meet the Teacher Evening Details

Date: Thursday 19 February 2026

Time: 4:30pm – 6:00pm

Venue: St Heliers School

Programme

4:30 pm – Principal’s address and Senior Leadership Team presentation in the School Hall

5:15 pm – Parents move to their child’s classroom/s

5:15 pm–6:00 pm An opportunity to visit classrooms and meet your child's teacher

6:00 pm – Evening concludes

Please note that this is a parent-only event, allowing teachers to connect with parents and caregivers.

This is not a time for individual conversations regarding your child. A mutually agreeable appointment or conversation time can be scheduled with classroom teachers for this purpose.

 We look forward to welcoming you and working together to support your child’s learning throughout the year.

Kind regards,
Senior Leadership Team

Parents of International students are invited to Semplice Cafe in St Heliers Village for a morning tea with the International Student Manager and the Senior Leadership Tea on Wednesday 19 February from 9 am to 10 am.

This is a public Holiday. There is no school today.

New Students arrive at 8.30am (In the Hall)

New International Students Arrive at 9.15am (In the Hall)

For parents convenience the uniform shop will be open on Thursday 29 January from 9 am to 12 pm.

Children who are returning in 2025 will visit their class and teacher for next year at 10.15am.

Children only need to bring a snack for morning tea.

School finishes at 12.30pm. Please pick up your children on time as the whole staff have a special lunch starting at 1pm.

Have a great summer!